Signs of Love w/ Jenni Williams

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Fostering As A Foundation for Motherhood

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About The Episode

Ever since she was five years old, Jenni Williams knew she wanted a dog. However, her parents weren’t fans and her mom was also scared of them. It wasn’t until 30 years later that a dog would come into her life. She did get to know others in the meantime, like the black dogs from the family of her then-boyfriend (and now husband) in her early 20’s. It had been discussed between her and her husband to get a dog of their own, but the UK apartment they were living in didn’t allow a dog and they were also both working full time. However, their work and living situations ended up changing for both of them.

Serving in the British Army, Jenni’s husband was assigned to be posted in the United States in Frederick, Maryland. They packed their bags and went, but while there Jenni wasn’t legally allowed to work. As a result, she decided to focus on volunteer work. While figuring out what she wanted to do, dogs were at the top of her list. By coincidence or not, they realized they lived five minutes away from the Frederick Animal Control and Adoption Center (FCAC), which turned out to have a dog fostering program.

It was then, at 35, that Jenni finally gave a home to her first dog – a foster named Hank, who turned out to be the first of 15 dogs that Jenni fostered (of which 12 were puppies). However, there were two of those fosters who really stood out: Sam The Beagle and Jess The Huskie.

Sam The Beagle was a dog who was especially difficult to work with, and no one (not even certified trainers) were having any luck. He was on the verge of being euthanized, and Jenni was the last stop option for the shelter to try to work out of the situation. It wasn’t easy, but Jenni got Sam to come out of his shell. They forged a strong bond and, soon enough, he was able to be adopted by a family to find a forever home. The challenges didn’t end there. A couple of months later, Jess was the next foster for Jenni and it was another process of gaining trust and turning over past negative behavior. However, it was going well over time. At one point, though, Jenni and her husband went on vacation after about four months and while gone, Jess escaped from someone walking her and was nowhere to be found for weeks after. Jenni came back and did some searching around different spots they would go to, but wasn’t having any luck. Then a tip came in of Jess being near a spot they used to go to, and Jenni went with an animal control officer to find her. They spotted her and while the officer initially scared Jess off, Jenni called out for her and Jess turned around immediately. They were reunited.

Jess probably would’ve been a foster fail, but Jenni couldn’t take her back to the UK – so she found another adopted forever home instead. Before that happened, however, Jess found a way to communicate that something was up with Jess and to be alert. At this time, Jenni had been taking pregnancy tests that were coming up negative – including being told as much by her doctor. But Jess’ voice was loud in Jenni’s ear, and she tried another test. This time, it was positive. She was going to have a baby.

The child of Jenni turned out to be her daughter, Eve, who was given the middle name of Jessica in honor of her canine soulmate. It wasn’t just the alerting or warning of the pregnancy, however. Eve was born with a severe disability of a rare chromosome condition, as well as epilepsy. But through the nonverbal communication experience that Jenni had with Jess and all of her dogs, she was able to adapt and understand in a way she couldn’t have otherwise. She knows that while saying “I love you” verbally is not possible, that doesn’t mean she can’t still see and feel the love from Eve like she did (in their own way) with her dogs.

Since then, Jenni has written a book Rescued: Adventures with Down and Out Dogs on her experiences as a mother with the fosters and with her daughter. She wanted to write and create something that paid tribute to her incredible time with her different foster dogs and the impact, joy, and rewards that can come from it. Fostering is a cause Jenni is very passionate about and she recommends everyone to try it, even if it hurts (which she doesn’t deny, by any means). But it’s not just about us, it’s about saving as many dogs as possible and helping shelters. After all, she’s a pretty good authority on the subject with having had 15 of her own.

About The Guest - Jenni Williams

Jenni Williams’ husband was serving in the British Army, which led them to move to the U.S. on assignment for a period of time. Due to the circumstances, Jenni was unable to work with her visa status. To use her time, she decided to do volunteer work instead, landing on fostering. It turned out to be one of the most important decisions she ever made. Over time, Jenni ended up taking in 15 dogs over the years. Later, she had a daughter, Eve, who was born with a severe disability of a very rare chromosome condition, as well as epilepsy. However, even though Eve is only able to show love in a nonverbal manner, Jenni is able to understand the nontraditional communication thanks to her canine soulmate, Jess, and the other dogs she had fostered. All of these experiences inspired her to write a book: Rescued — Adventures with Down and Out Dogs.

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